The German musician and singer Max Mutzke is awarded the Prix Champagne 2019 in Hamburg on Monday, February 11. Discovered in 2004, he is today one of the most successful artists of the German music scene.

The Prix Champagne awards personalities contributing to the joy of life in an inventive, cheerful and sparkling way. The award winners may be active in all areas of public life, if their work and personality shows a congeniality to Champagne. Previous award winners were conductor Kent Nagano, Paralympics-winner Verena Bentele and even a German cardinal, Kardinal Karl Lehmann, back in 2007.

Max Mutzke had his musical breakthrough when he participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in Istanbul in 2004. Since then Max Mutzke released seven albums and many successful singles. From Rock, Pop and Soul, Funk to Jazz and classical music, his musical talent is limitless. Passion and sincere joy of living are present in Max Mutzke’s voice and personality. Hardly any musician reaches such a wide range of fans and few singers handle that masterly with different musical genres.

The St Vincent’s Day returns to the City of Troyes on Saturday 19 January, to the immense satisfaction of the joint presidents of the Champagne Winegrowers' Fraternity (Archiconfrérie des vignerons de la Champagne), Evelyne Roques-Boizel and Maurice Vollereaux. “In 2019, we will take great pride in parading the Archiconfrérie’s colours through the heart of the city, nine years since Troyes last hosted the event in 2010!”

From 3pm, spectators will be treated to a sensational Grand Parade with people in traditional costumes, which will set out from Place de la Libération. The procession will be headed by the Chacenay, Bertignolles and Eguilly-sous-Bois winegrowers’ guild, which will proudly carry the Archiconfrérie banner.

Around 1,000 people, belonging to 90 Champagne guilds and Houses, will take part. Decked out in traditional colours and carrying banners and the ceremonial staffs of St Vincent, they will process to Troyes Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, where a mass will be celebrated at 4pm.

The traditional St Vincent’s Day festivities will follow, beginning at 6pm in the Espace Argence Hall.

There will be a welcome address by François Baroin, Mayor of Troyes, speeches from Vincent Perrin, managing director of the Champagne Committee and other well-known figures and awarding of official prizes by the Corporation des Vignerons de Champagne, followed by the ceremonial handing over of the

Archiconfrérie banner to the St-Martin-d’Ablois guild. Next, the guilds, celebrities and participants will all enjoy a glass of Champagne, after which a gala dinner and an induction ceremony for the Archiconfrérie Ambassadors will round off the events of the day (advance booking only).

The residents of Troyes will be delighted that their city is to host the Champagne Winegrowers' fraternity of St Vincent on this important and spectacular occasion.

Saint Vincent, who is known as the patron saint of winegrowers, is believed to have died in January 304 CE after being persecuted by the Roman government. In the centuries that followed, Saint Vincent came to be venerated throughout France’s wine-producing regions including Champagne, with annual festivals arranged in his honour by the Champagne Houses and growers.

The Champagne Winegrowers' Fraternity of St Vincent, or Archiconfrérie St-Vincent, was founded in Epernay in the 1930s, bringing together village wine guilds from across the Champagne region. In the 1990s, under the impetus of the organisation’s joint presidents, Brigitte Chandon Moet and Michel Janisson, the annual celebration was revived and has gained a stellar reputation.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the registration of the Champagne geographical indication in India, and in honor of the visit of a delegation of the Comité Champagne, led by its Director General, Vincent Perrin, the French Ambassador held a Champagne party on the 4th of October 2018, gathering more than 100 participants, including officials and key representatives from the trade.

Champagne is developing smoothly in India, with almost 400,000 bottles shipped in 2017, in spite of a high level of taxes.

The Indian geographical indications system is a strong base of protection of the high intangible value behind European geographical names such as Champagne. Moreover, after 10 years, the implementation track record of the legal protection awarded to Champagne is good, with 3 significant court orders favorable to Champagne.

The most recent, which convicted a producer of soft drinks sold under the name Champagne, ended on 4th of October 2018 with the destruction of the counterfeit goods, in the presence of the delegation.of the Comité Champagne.

The Comité Champagne is thus fully satisfied with the renewal of this high level of guarantee and is confident that India will remain a strong advocate of the importance of a collective protection of territorial origins of traditional know-hows, in the food industry and beyond, at the international level.

The French IP Counsellor of the French Embassy is promoting a strong bilateral cooperation between the French IP Office (INPI) and its Indian counterpart (CGPDTM).